Various methods of mass production of different types of products using molds exist. Such methods include a dipping stage whereby a 3-Dimensional (“3D”) mold is dipped in liquid latex so that the mold is coated with latex and a closed shape product is created over the curved conventional mold surface. Alternatively, the closed product is created by a method whereby a product material is sprayed onto a surface of a 3D mold, which is described in U.S. Ser. No. 11/268,684 filed on Nov. 7, 2005, and is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
However, prior techniques for making products using a conventional 3D mold have a number of disadvantages. For instance, it is relatively time consuming and expensive to produce the 3D molds because they must be sculptured, cast, or milled. Full 3D shaped molds are also relatively heavy. The molds are large and take up a lot of space in the work environment, affecting size and cost (e.g. oven, leaching bath, conveyer belts chains etc.). The molds require a large amount of energy to warm up, and a large amount of time to change temperature. When a spraying technology is used, 3D molds also require an elaborate spraying process with a sprayer that is capable of spraying material in all directions around the mold.
Furthermore, a product is created on the mold surface only, sometimes using just a part of the surface. For instance, when a garment is created over an anatomical shaped mold, it is necessary to cut out openings for body parts such as arms or legs. The need to cut out such openings is another disadvantage of conventional molds, because of both the additional process as well as the loss of product material.
Due to these disadvantages, it is desirable to convert the large and heavy 3D mold into a thin, substantially flat, lightweight mold, while maintaining the effective surface area and some other features of the full 3D mold surface.